Released: MC Secret Baby Romance (New Adult Contemporary Biker Romance) (32 page)

Thinking about Anna, she desperately wanted to speak to her again, but as she reached for her phone, she realized it was still in the kitchen.

“Oh no!” her tears became heavier.

There was no way she could go back into the kitchen. She could still hear her father down there on the prowl. But, she had an idea…

The storm was still raging outside and the noise wasn’t any less frightening, but remaining in the house was just intolerable. As she pulled on her jeans and coat, she thought about her mother and how she’d suffer without either of her daughters at home. But, she needed to live her own life because she was finally at the end of her tether.

Resting her forehead against the window, she looked down into the back yard and decided it wasn’t too much of a jump onto the garage roof, and then to the ground. It was now or never.

Hurling as many belongings as possible into her backpack, she took a deep breath and opened the window. The cold air lashed at her face with her wet hair whipping at her eyes. The rain was beating down hard with the noise of the nearby trees creaking and groaning ominously.

“I love you Mom,” she whispered into the night, and then leapt.

*****

She regretted her escape as soon as she landed in the soft mud of the garden, but as she looked up to her bedroom window, she knew there was no going back. Running headlong into the night, she knew it was likely she wouldn’t even make it to the city, but it was worth a shot. In fact, anything was worth a try to get out of the hellhole she knew to be her home.

Reaching the edge of the house, she climbed into her car and wondered how she could start it without waking her parents. She figured there was no use in even trying to conceal the sound. Her home lay on the edge of a deep valley with no one around for miles and any sound would travel far and wide. She’d have to be quick, turn the key and be down the drive in a matter of seconds. For the first time in her life, she prayed the thunder and lightning would come down to disguise the sound of the engine, but as she turned the key, she wasn’t so lucky. The car roared into life with the headlights beaming into the kitchen window.

Her father was sitting there, blinded by the light for a moment before he stood up in a rage. She could see him, as he made his way through the house. Pushing her foot to the floor she sped away as fast as possible, kicking up dirt and gravel as she drove.

The open road stretched out ahead of her, and finally, she was free. All the way through the valley, she was terrified that she’d see the lights of her father’s truck shining in the mirrors, but he never came and, as she slowed down to a steady speed, she wondered why.

Thinking about her mother once again, she tried to swallow back the tears, but it was no use. She felt terrible for leaving her behind without even a hint of an explanation, but she knew she’d understand. However, the tears became heavier and heavier until she was sobbing with her chest heaving, as she gasped for air. She soon became blinded by both the tears and the rain, but she drove on relentlessly with the force of the wind shaking the car along the isolated road.

Taking a quick, but blurry glance to the dashboard, she saw she was almost out of gas and the thought of being stuck out here in the wilderness terrified her.

“Oh my God!” she wailed. “This can’t be happening.”

Then, it came; something rock-hard and heavy with an insurmountable force. It hit the hood of the car at speed, and it brought Rochelle to a screeching halt. She screamed in terror, as she saw the creature that was attached to the front of the hood. As a devoted animal lover, the thought of injuring something so innocent broke her heart. It would seem that her night was getting worse by the minute.

However, the rain was brutal, as it lashed down around the vehicle making deafening noises against the roof. She had to squint to see what kind of animal it was and she wiped at the windshield to see it better. With a gasp, she saw the large paws that were digging into the car and the enormous torso they lead up to.

Her breath stopped at the realization she’d hit a bear. It was wounded and lying face down with its blood mingling with the rain drops. She leaned further forward in her seat until the steering wheel was digging hard into her chest. She had to see if it was alive. For a second, she was sure she saw its great body rise and fall with each breath, but she couldn’t be certain.

Creeping closer until her nose was against the glass, she looked for a sign that it was alive, but still, it didn’t move. Then, a flash of green hit her through the darkness. The bright eyes of a beast glared at her through the windshield, and she screamed, stumbling backward into the back seat. The bear was awake and it was angry.

It leaned back with pain in its eyes and growled with Rochelle screaming along with it. Despite all her years living in the wilderness, she'd never seen a wild animal so close. Its claws were digging into the windshield while its teeth were menacing and sharp. She figured one foul swoop to her face would maim her for life. Shaking uncontrollably, she clutched her hands desperately at the leather upholstery.

Eventually, she let go, but only because she was ripping her fingernails from their beds. The pain was a temporary refuge from the fear and she looked down at her broken nails for a moment, but in that split second, everything changed because when she shifted her eyes back up to the windshield, the bear was moving away.

Its anger had dissipated and had been replaced with a deep sadness. Rochelle could see the pain in his eyes and his gaze softened just long enough to look her in the eye once again. Then, it shuffled away. It was badly hurt, and as the fear subsided, the young girl was left feeling guilty. She watched the beast limp off the road and into the nearby woods where it instantly became enshrouded in the darkness.

With the urge to help it, she stared out the window praying that the animal would be ok. Meanwhile, the rain was pummeling the car. She knew she had to escape the area as fast as she could in case her father was on his way, and she felt herself grow cold at the thought. With great trepidation, she climbed back into the driver's seat and took a deep breath. For the first time, she could see the damage done to the front of the car and she gasped.

"Shit!" she slammed her hands on the steering wheel.

Taking a quick glance out the window to keep her eye on the bear, she saw its vague outline amongst the trees. It wasn't running away anymore; it seemed to just be.... keeping an eye on her. Something about the vibe it gave off sent a chill down her spine. She didn't understand what it was doing. With her eyes darting between the road ahead and the bear, she felt her heart race, but then, it raced even faster when she saw the bear move.

Squinting her eyes to see better, she couldn't believe her eyes. It seemed to be moving in the most peculiar way with its giant body becoming smaller. She put the vision down to the trauma of being in the crash and turned her attention back to the car.

She attempted to start the engine, though she thought it would be pointless, and she soon realized that the car was well and truly destroyed and that she was in serious trouble. Still, she twisted the key in the ignition over and over again to no avail. Leaning back in her seat in defeat, she found herself looking back into the woods to see if the bear was still watching her. It was...

Yet, something was wrong because it couldn't possibly be the same animal as before, not with its smaller frame and thinner limbs.

"What the hell is going on?" she slammed the steering wheel once again.

The tears were running down her crimson cheeks freely as she sobbed. Suddenly, and out of nowhere, the rain began to ease, and within several seconds, it had halted altogether. Rochelle breathed a sigh of relief, as she saw the air around her lighten up with the sound of silence permeating the woods.

"Thank God," she whispered into the dark.

Above, the clouds seemed to clear away from the sky and the stars could be seen to twinkle. However, the sudden silence appeared very eerie, and the feeling then grew stronger when the last of the clouds blew away to reveal a full moon. It was shining bright with the craters upon its surface glaring down on the earth. Its white light shone across the front of the car, illuminating the crash's damage and beamed in through the cracked windshield.

It was then that Rochelle could see her surroundings in almost clear light and was now acquainted with the woods more closely. She felt it at first; the fiery stare coming from the beast. It seemed to burn into the side of her head and, for a long while, she was too petrified to move in case she might die of fright, but there was something so compelling about the bear; something so mysterious.

She took one final deep breath and began to move her head toward the trees. Moving as slowly as possible, she dreaded the sight that was about to face her. It was then that her eyes connected with the animals’ and she realized it was no beast, but a man.

*****

His eyes flashed in the moonlight, as a flicker of his face came into view. Handsome and refined, his features were perfect, but strong. As Rochelle adjusted her eyes to what she was seeing, he was suddenly gone; disappearing into the dense forest.

"Wait! No!" she called out the window.

Leaping from the wreck of the car, she dashed after the man with her feet sinking into the sodden mud as she ran. The trees were tightly spaced with wet and jagged branches hitting her as she went. However, the adrenaline was pumping so fast she didn't feel the pain; only the dire need to discover what was happening.

She wasn't sure where she was running to, but she knew that somewhere ahead of her, the man was running away because she could hear him. The branches and foliage were snapping beneath his weight with the sound of his limp obvious amongst the quickening footsteps.

"Come back!" she called. "I'm sorry,” she gasped for air.

Now, deep within the woods, she stopped for a moment to regain her breath, and it was then she realized she had no idea where she was.

She spun around on her heels, as her feet stuck into the mud. All around her looked identical and she soon found she didn't know which way she was running or what direction she'd just come from.

"Oh God, Oh God, Oh God," she slapped her hands to her face, as the desperation of the situation dawned on her. "Oh…… No," and the tears started again.

For a crazy minute, she felt as though she was somehow being persecuted or punished for running away from home.
I should never have ran away. I'm such a terrible person.
The thoughts wouldn't leave her mind. However, after a short while, her mania slowed down, as she heard a rustling ahead of her. The fear returned. She dug her fingernails into the palms of her hands and held her breath with her eyes wild and staring.

Again, the rustling sounded as though I was just ahead of her. She hoped it was a small animal; something cute hopefully like a squirrel or a fox, but she knew from the sound of the steps it was much bigger.

"Hello?" she called into the night; hoping there'd be no reply.

"Be quiet," came a gruff response, "or they'll hear you."

Rochelle's blood ran cold. She remained rooted to the spot with her limbs trembling in fear, as she listened to the steps coming closer.

"Who- who- who are you?" she stuttered with her lips quivering out the words.

Then, she saw him; the tall man with the statuesque physique. His hands were clutched to his side and he was bent slightly at the waist, as he staggered.

"You hit me kinda hard there, didn't you?" His voice was deep and gravely.

"I hit you? But, I hit a bear....didn't I?"

"Does it matter?" His breath was labored. "Whether I'm man or beast, you still hit me."

It was then she noticed how much pain he was in and instinctively ran to his aid. A large cut to his forehead was bleeding heavily while he held onto his ribs.

"I think you broke something," he pointed to his side.

"Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you totaled my car."

"No..." his voice was stern. "That's not helping."

She looked up to his face and saw there was a cheeky glint in his eyes, despite the fact he was in agony.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to sound so….," she slid an arm around his waist to help him stand. "It's just this night has been...crazy."

"Tell me about it," he winced in pain.

"You probably didn't help yourself by running with a broken rib," said Rochelle.

"Who are you? My mother?" the man responded caustically.

An awkward silence hung between them as they decided what to do next. Rochelle was confused by everything that had taken place and her head was fuzzy; her thoughts unclear.

"What are you even doing out here?" she asked as she looked him up and down.

There was something about the way he dressed in his immaculate clothes that showed he wasn't a wild woodsman or a hermit.

"I live out here," he pointed into the distance, "If you'd care to walk me home."

*****

For a long while, they walked in silence with Rochelle clinging onto the muscular man. Every few minutes, he'd have to stop with the pain blazing up his side, but then, he'd breathe it out and be eager to get home.